The heavy hitting Florida metal heads from Trivium are revealed as the Bloodstock Friday main stage headliners in a U.K. exclusive for 2015.

Frontman Matt Heafy raves: “The UK is where the world first took notice of Trivium, and to pay true homage to that, Trivium will be playing the most Metal festival that exists in the UK: Bloodstock! We are thrilled beyond words to celebrate our first time at Bloodstock with the the UK’s Metal elite.”

Other new confirmations include Sabaton and Agalloch. The currently announced festival lineup is as follows:

While everyone’s talking about Christmas approaching, the Bloodstock festival organizer's sights are firmly fixed on next August. What better way to roll into the festive season than to announce three more crackin’ bands for 2015’s premier heavy metal event?

First up is thrash outfit Overkill. Front man Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth says: “We are loading the BIG guns and setting sail for the UK this summer! Be warned! The island is in danger, it's a White Devil Army....Lets make Bloodstock 2015 a bloodbath!”

Folk metal Finns Ensiferum are also joining the party, having recently wrapped recording on brand new album, "One Man Army," set for release on February 23rd.

Austrian blackened death metal overlords Belphegor will also make a return to Catton Park in 2015. Frontman/guitarist and founder Helmuth Lehner comments: “Belphegor returns to the ingenious Bloodstock Open Air! We will play at the main stage and promote our latest offering ‘Conjuring The Dead.’ Belphegor will bring you the most intense ritual possible. Join the pit and prepare for Diabolical Death Metal chaos.” More...

The organizers of the Bloodstock 2015 festival have issued the following announcement about new band confirmations:

"Bloodstock early bird tickets are flying out the door in the wake of Halloween’s Rob Zombie headline announcement, but here at festival HQ we aren’t resting on our laurels, we’ve got even more bands ready to add on to the bill!

"British stoner/doom overlords, Orange Goblin are set for a main stage slot in 2015. Having recently unleashed their eighth studio album, 'Back From The Abyss' via Candlelight Records, the band are currently laying waste to Europe on tour with the mighty St Vitus. Check out the brand new video for ‘Sabbath Hex’ from the new release here.

?Norwegian black metallers 1349 also sign up. With latest studio album ‘Massive Cauldron Of Chaos’ recently hitting the racks, the band have also found time to collaborate with Minnesota’s Surly Brewing Company and launch their own ‘1349 Black Ale’. Check out this informative video clip featuring drummer Frost and vocalist Ravn explaining how the whole thing came about over here. More...

After Emperor reunited for a run of 20th anniversary shows, Ihsahn is back working on new solo material and will apparently no longer be using the members of Leprous as his backing band. Ihsahn had this to say:

"Back on track with new music and new live shows!

"First of all, the 'In the Nightside Eclipse' 20th anniversary shows with Emperor have been a big priority for me in 2014 and I would like to thank everyone on stage, behind the stage and in front of the stage for making this celebration such a great experience!

"Also, a special thanks to Ibanez Guitars, Blackstar Amplification, Rotosound Music Strings and Norsk Musikk Distribusjon for all the continued support on the road!

"Now, this has not kept me entirely busy for the whole year, so since January I’ve also been writing material for the next Ihsahn album, partly interrupted by rehearsals, shows and a total rebuild of our studio.

"On the live front, several shows are all ready announced for 2015, and I’m excited to tell you that I’ll be back on stage with a new, handpicked line-up that I am confident will take my songs to a new dimension.

"On that note, I’d like to thank Leprous for a fantastic collaboration over many years!! They have been invaluable in getting my songs to the stage and we’ve had some great trips around the world. Maybe now we’ll actually get to watch each other’s shows

"That’s it from an autumn-dressed Telemark……Now, to the batcave!"

The forthcoming solo album from Ihsahn will follow last year's "Das Seelenbrechen" (reviewed here), an experimental release that saw the musician going in a very different direction from previous albums. More...

This Halloween, Bloodstock has some howlingly good news to share! Are you a fan of the undead? Love zombies? The fiendishly brilliant Rob Zombie is confirmed as Sunday’s 2015 main stage headliner, bringing his full production to Catton Park.

Rob Zombie exclaims, "I am so ready to get on a plane, and get my ass over to merry ol' England for Bloodstock. We've had some of the best shows of our lives over there and can't wait to add this to the list. Besides, it's called ‘Bloodstock' so how could it not be bloody fucking fun?”

Expect to witness a spectacular range of Rob Zombie classics as well as choice cuts from the band’s most recent studio album "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor." Check out this cut below of "Superbeast" from last year’s "The Zombie Horror Picture Show" DVD, which captured Rob and his zombie bandmates John 5, Piggy D, and Ginger Fish on the road.

Other bands confirmed for the 2015 festival include Within Temptation, Opeth, Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura, Death DTA, Dark Angel, Ihsahn, and Nuclear Assault. More...

It’s all systems go for Bloodstock 2015 with no rest for the wicked: as well as the recently announced Saturday night headliners, Within Temptation and special guests Opeth, more bands are getting locked in for August 2015.

Following Emperor’s triumphant headlining set at Bloodstock this year, Emperor frontman Ihsahn brings his solo project to Catton Park as a one-off, U.K. exclusive. Ihsahn comments:

“At this year's Bloodstock I had the great pleasure of finishing off our 20th Anniversary Tour of ‘In The Nightside Eclipse’, and next year, I am really looking forward to returning with a whole new Ihsahn set. Nostalgic. Contemporary. I get to do both! See you all there!” More...

Emperor's Ihsahn posted a lyric video for the new track "NaCl." The song appears on the upcoming new solo release "Das Seelenbrechen," which is scheduled for release on October 22nd via Candlelight Records (see review here). Metal Underground.com just interviewed Ihsahn about the album - check it out here.

As was recently announced, Candlelight Records has confirmed October 22nd as the North American release date for "Das Seelenbrechen," the fifth solo album from Ihsahn, and follow-up to last year's "Eremita" (reviewed here).

Das Seelenbrechen will be available on compact disc, a limited edition digibook (with expanded graphics and liner notes), and double 180-gram clear vinyl. Pre-orders are set to launch via online and physical retail outlets beginning September 10th. The following press release was issued about the album:

"Das Seelenbrechen is a bold and adventurous recording that is a musical contrast to the progressive shades and saxophone augmentations of the former Emperor vocalist/guitarist's previous two albums (2009's After and 2011's Eremita). The recording exists in an entirely unfamiliar sonic world as Ihsahn draws upon his most esoteric influences, fully embracing the spirit of the avant-garde. Comprising ten vivid but disparate explorations in sound that range from bittersweet electronica to deranged and feral improvisation, Das Seelenbrechen is every bit as dark and destructive as the artist's previous work but is far more disorientating and disturbing than anything he has attempted in his past."

Ihsahn himself states: "Musically, this album is a very deliberate sidestep to what I have been doing; a necessity to reset the creative parameters so not to fall into formula. I think I do my best work slightly outside of my comfort zone and I've wanted to do something like this for a long time. Free form and improvisational can be scary for a musician but it is very liberating at the same time."

Recorded at his own studio in Norway in collaboration with drummer Tobias Ornes Anderson (Leprous), "Das Seelenbrechen" eschews traditional metal instrumentation in favor of a limitless textural landscape that evokes the freewheeling spirit of artists like Diamanda Galas, Scott Walker, and John Zorn.

In discussing the album, Ihsahn notes, "even though my music has changed over the years, I feel there is a source of inspiration at the bottom of it all that is constant. The general idea for this album was to try and dig deep into this raw source and express it without too much refinery and do so within a less familiar musical landscape. It is the reason for several purely improvised songs and parts on this album. I spontaneously performed with just lyrics and the idea of the atmosphere I was wishing to create. While many will feel it sounds different, I don't think it is necessarily different from my previous album. And in my head, it will fit in perfectly with my plans for the sixth album." More...

After releasing "Eremita" last year (reviewed here), solo artist Ihsahn has announced his new album "Das Seelenbrechen" is due out on October 22nd, 2013. The cover artwork and track listing can be found below.

The 2013 installment of the Wacken Open Air Festival kicks off today, but you don't have to be there to catch some of the action over the course of the weekend. Select bands from the festival will be shown via live stream at this location. There is no guarantee that the broadcast will be available in every country.

According to the schedule, highlights of the Wacken Metal Battle with Annihilator will be shown today at 18:30 (CET), 12:30pm (EST), 9:30am (PST). In addition, for Friday and Saturday, bands broadcast will be:

Tuska Open Air Metal Festival promised to be an event to remember this year, with huge acts such as King Diamond, Wintersun and Nightwish taking command of the main stage! With finally perfect summer weather and a lineup that challenged many other summer festivals, Friday came with much awaited anticipation!

Many of the bands this year were scheduled at the same time, perhaps the cause of this was that in the past there have always been four stages, but this year there were only three. Only two of these stages allowed media to shoot footage and photos, which led to a massive and unfortunate stress factor to an otherwise phenomenal festival experience. In addition, overcrowded photo pits with unqualified photographers led to an unfortunate decline in coverage from other medias this year. Die hard Tuska fans and Medias still showed up in hordes, and showed why Tuska is still the metal festival to be at in Helsinki! More...

Remember that extremely unlikely collaboration we reported on back in April? The one that featured Ihsahn (Emperor, Peccatum), Serj Tankian (System of a Down), and Devin Townsend? Well it's now online and available for streaming! Check out "We Are" in the player below.

The single was composed, arranged, programmed, and produced by Ray Holroyd, mixed by Rohan Onraet, and mastered by Ted Jensen. "We Are" is a charity track being released by non-profit label Revolution Harmony, with all proceeds being donated to Buskaid, a charity that provides free music lessons and instruments to children in the townships of South Africa

Vancouver non-profit label Revolution Harmony has announced an upcoming charity single titled "We Are," which will feature the talents of Ihsahn (Emperor, Peccatum), Serj Tankian (System of a Down), and Devin Townsend.

The single was composed, arranged, programmed, and produced by Ray Holroyd, mixed by Rohan Onraet, and mastered by Ted Jensen. The label comments on the single:

"The lyrical theme in 'We Are' is based on the concept behind Revolution Harmony, which is essentially the belief that musical harmony has the power to inspire a revolution towards societal harmony. The single is dedicated to Nelson Mandela and the memory of Lucky Dube, regarded as South Africa's Bob Marley, and will be released worldwide on Mandela Day (18 July), with all proceeds donated to Buskaid, a charity that provides free music lessons and instruments to children in the townships of South Africa."

Serj Tankian stated: "It has been an absolute honor being involved with the Revolution Harmony project to bring much needed financial aid to Buskaid in South Africa. Music has saved my life and has the potential to create positive change in all those young kids struggling to make themselves heard and to survive. The song is a musical collage of complex yet moving colors intertwining genres and vibes."

Ihsahn also states: "I have followed this song since it was basically just a MIDI file and love how it has grown into this massive piece of music, so it was very easy to get inspired for lyrics and vocal lines. Knowing how music has shaped and enriched my own life, and how privileged I have been to be able to follow that passion, I really appreciate Buskaid's work to enable young people to follow that same path. Like most, my involvement in charity has been very generic, like signing up for donations to some of the global organizations, but Revolution Harmony has given me the opportunity to contribute with something personal, together with people who share my passion for music. I'm honored to be part of this. With our different backgrounds I think this just underlines the message of the song; a deep passion for music that goes beyond how we are typically isolated and divided."

Following the release last year of fourth solo album "Eremita" (reviewed here), Ihsahn has announced he is already working on an upcoming new album slated for release this autumn.

Ihsahn is currently in the studio working on drums with Tobias from Leprous (photo available below). Further details on the release will be announced as they are made available. More photos from the studio are available at this location.

"We are selling a very limited number of festival tickets to a greatly reduced price. Full price is NOK 650,- (+ ticket fee) for a two day ticket, but in December we’re selling some of the tickets for only NOK 500,- (+ ticket fee)! And listen to this: The first 15 gets a signed Ihsahn CD!"

God Of Atheists is Asgeir Mickelson's (Spiral Architect, Borknagar) new extreme metal project, and the band has now issued the following brief statement about recruiting ex-Emperor member and current solo artist Ihsahn:

"Proudly presenting the mighty Ihsahn on keyboard! His contribution adds a new dimension to the music without making God Of Atheists symphonic extreme metal - just as intended! Stoked!"

Ihsahn, known for his work with famous black metal act Emperor, will now be re-releasing his debut solo album "The Adversary" as a limited edition 2XLP, including layouts by Trine + Kim Design Studio. Pre-orders will be available starting on November 6th, 2012 through Blood Music. Ihsahn's latest album "Eremita" (reviewed here) is out now.